Do you know what the recommended low-risk drinking guidelines are? The Health Improvement Commission has launched a survey to gain local insight into islanders’ awareness and understanding of the guidelines and their drinking behaviours.
Having first conducted the survey in 2020, the Commission found that 86% of the near 400 participants didn’t know what the low-risk drinking guidelines were and has since been campaigning to raise awareness of what they are and provide helpful advice and tools for people to monitor and manage their alcohol intake. The survey will be running once again this autumn and will help to see whether islanders’ awareness of the guidelines has changed.
Andrea Nightingale, The Health Improvement Commission’s Substance Use Lead, said: “The results from our 2020 survey highlighted the need for more public awareness around low-risk drinking. We know that the majority of adults drink alcohol, it’s embedded in our culture, but it’s important to empower people to know how much we’re drinking and whether our drinking might be harming our health.
“Over the past two years we’ve been delivering a creative campaign to give people the information, knowledge and skills to manage their alcohol consumption in a healthy way.
“We’ve created challenges for the public to take part in, filmed fun videos, used local familiar faces to help spread the message, distributed handy tools to help measure intake, and even had the recommended guidelines driving round the island on the back of a bus. The campaign has won several awards, now it’s time to see what impact that’s made.”
The Commission is encouraging any islander aged 18 or over to take part in the new survey, which can be found here or on its website and social channels. You do not have to drink alcohol to take part. Anyone who takes part can also be in with a chance of winning a voucher worth £140 to spend with Iris and Dora, Guernsey Karting, Up Climbing Guernsey or Outdoor Guernsey. The survey will close at the end of October.
